Mix up your Fourth of July burgers this year

Season SteppHalifax Media Group

Published: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 8:05 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 8:05 a.m.

Every year, thousands of Americans will break out their grills for the Fourth of July. The Stepp family will be no different. Undoubtedly, the most popular meal will be hamburgers, and for good reason: They are delicious. There are many ideas of what comprises the perfect burger.

The first step to a great burger is the meat. The most popular is, of course, beef, but other choices include bison, turkey, chicken, lamb and what I grew up on: moose! I suggest trying out a few ground meats and even blend them to create what fits your taste.

When buying beef, I suggest you opt for grassfed or pasture-raised beef. Even if you aren’t overly concerned with things such as antibiotics, hormones or the environmental impact of factoryfarmed beef, consider the culinary benefits: Most chefs agree that grass-fed beef just tastes better.

Grass-fed and pastureraised beef won’t always taste exactly the same, but I believe it tastes like beef is supposed to taste.

It will have less marbling, which are the bits of fat in the muscles of beef that distinguish between USDA grades such as Select, Choice and Prime.

(Select has the least amount of intramuscular fat whereas Prime has the most.) Because it is more lean, you might want to do what we in the culinary world refer to as larding, adding fat into the meat, or barding, wrapping additional fat around the meat. In addition to being low in visible fat, many studies are finding fully grass-fed or pasture-raised beef contain less saturated fat (the bad stuff) and more Omega-3 fatty acids (the good stuff) as well.

Of course, go local if you can. There are several farms in the Upstate and Ashville area that raise grass-fed or pastureraised beef. Even the Hub City Farmers’ Market’s 4N Family Farm can supply your local beef needs.

For this year’s Fourth burgers, how about giving your guests some options?

We’ve all seen salad bars, and many of us have seen omelet or crepe stations with plenty of fillings or toppings options. Get a bang out of your cookout with your own little burger bar.

If you are having a large gathering, offer your guests different patty options: combinations of beef, bison, turkey or, if you’re really feeling crazy, ask your butcher to grind up some raw bacon into your ground beef. Not only will this add bacon flavor but it will also keep a leaner beef much juicier. For a little healthier burger, try blending black beans or chick peas into the ground beef or turkey.

Toppings are an even more endless list, although I’ll narrow it down to save a little room:

◆ Season your hamburger mixture to taste before grilling the whole batch. There is nothing worse than cooking a stack of burgers and then realize they needed salt!

Season to taste by creating a quarter-sized patty and browning it in a saute pan.

Taste for seasonings and add more as needed.

◆ Preheat the grill.

◆ Oil the grill by dipping a tightly rolled cloth into canola or vegetable oil and brushing it on the already hot grill.

◆ Set the burgers (or any meat) on the grill,

allow to cook 2/3-¾ of the way through, and flip only once. Do not press down with a spatula, and do notkeep checking to see if you have grill marks.

◆Leave the lid of the grill open. This way you can see far it has cooked, ensuring more evenly and accurately cooking.

Close the lid for longer/ slower cooked items such as bone-in chicken or slowcookedpork.You might be expecting a recipe for burgers this week, but I want you to experiment and design your own perfect burger.

In the meantime, here’s a recipe for a side dish that is incredible and sure to draw in second helpings.

Place beans in a Dutch oven or large pot and cover with about 8 to 10 cups water, or until the beans are covered by atleast 2 inches. Bring water to a simmer and remove from the heat. Set aside for at least 1 hour. (Alternatively, cover the beans with several inches of water and soak overnight.) Drain and rinse the beans, and discard all soaking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 5 slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until lightly browned on one side. Remove from oven and set aside.

Dice remaining bacon.

Spread on the bottom of the Dutch oven used for the beans. Place over medium heat and cook undisturbed until the edges of the bacon have browned. Stir to cook the remaining side.

Add the onion and stir to coat with the bacon and cook until golden brown.

Add dry mustard and stir.

Add chicken stock, 2 cups of water, beans, molasses, and ¾ cup of the maple syrup. Bring to a simmer and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 4 hours or until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are tender. Add more liquid if needed.

Remove from oven and place the baked strips of bacon on top of the beans with the browned side facing down. Drizzle with brown sugar and remaining maple syrup. Return to the oven until the bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

<p>Every year, thousands of Americans will break out their grills for the Fourth of July. The Stepp family will be no different. Undoubtedly, the most popular meal will be hamburgers, and for good reason: They are delicious. There are many ideas of what comprises the perfect burger.</p><p>The first step to a great burger is the meat. The most popular is, of course, beef, but other choices include bison, turkey, chicken, lamb and what I grew up on: moose! I suggest trying out a few ground meats and even blend them to create what fits your taste.</p><p>When buying beef, I suggest you opt for grassfed or pasture-raised beef. Even if you aren't overly concerned with things such as antibiotics, hormones or the environmental impact of factoryfarmed beef, consider the culinary benefits: Most chefs agree that grass-fed beef just tastes better.</p><p>Grass-fed and pastureraised beef won't always taste exactly the same, but I believe it tastes like beef is supposed to taste.</p><p>It will have less marbling, which are the bits of fat in the muscles of beef that distinguish between USDA grades such as Select, Choice and Prime.</p><p>(Select has the least amount of intramuscular fat whereas Prime has the most.) Because it is more lean, you might want to do what we in the culinary world refer to as larding, adding fat into the meat, or barding, wrapping additional fat around the meat. In addition to being low in visible fat, many studies are finding fully grass-fed or pasture-raised beef contain less saturated fat (the bad stuff) and more Omega-3 fatty acids (the good stuff) as well.</p><p>Of course, go local if you can. There are several farms in the Upstate and Ashville area that raise grass-fed or pastureraised beef. Even the Hub City Farmers' Market's 4N Family Farm can supply your local beef needs.</p><p>For this year's Fourth burgers, how about giving your guests some options?</p><p>We've all seen salad bars, and many of us have seen omelet or crepe stations with plenty of fillings or toppings options. Get a bang out of your cookout with your own little burger bar.</p><p>If you are having a large gathering, offer your guests different patty options: combinations of beef, bison, turkey or, if you're really feeling crazy, ask your butcher to grind up some raw bacon into your ground beef. Not only will this add bacon flavor but it will also keep a leaner beef much juicier. For a little healthier burger, try blending black beans or chick peas into the ground beef or turkey.</p><p>Toppings are an even more endless list, although I'll narrow it down to save a little room:</p><p>◆ Various cheeses such as extra sharp white cheddar, havarti, Gruyere, blue cheese, pimento cheese, etc.</p><p>◆ Guacamole</p><p>◆ Hummus</p><p>◆ Pico de gallo or salsa verde</p><p>◆ Caramelized onions</p><p>and mushrooms</p><p>◆ Philly-style sauteed peppers and onions</p><p>◆ Barbecue sauces such as Kansas City red, Alabama white, Midlands Carolina mustard, etc.</p><p>◆ Fried eggs</p><p>◆ Homemade pickles</p><p>◆ Greens such as spinach, arugula or alfalfa</p><p>sprouts</p><p>◆ Herbed or citrus aioli (fancy term for homemade mayonnaise)</p><p>◆ Grilled summer vegetables such as onions cut into thick rings, thick slices of tomatoes, or thin slices or zucchini, yellow squash, or eggplant</p><p>A few tips</p><p>◆ Season your hamburger mixture to taste before grilling the whole batch. There is nothing worse than cooking a stack of burgers and then realize they needed salt!</p><p>Season to taste by creating a quarter-sized patty and browning it in a saute pan.</p><p>Taste for seasonings and add more as needed.</p><p>◆ Preheat the grill.</p><p>◆ Oil the grill by dipping a tightly rolled cloth into canola or vegetable oil and brushing it on the already hot grill.</p><p>◆ Set the burgers (or any meat) on the grill,</p><p>allow to cook 2/3-¾ of the way through, and flip only once. Do not press down with a spatula, and do notkeep checking to see if you have grill marks.</p><p>◆Leave the lid of the grill open. This way you can see far it has cooked, ensuring more evenly and accurately cooking.</p><p>Close the lid for longer/ slower cooked items such as bone-in chicken or slowcookedpork.You might be expecting a recipe for burgers this week, but I want you to experiment and design your own perfect burger.</p><p>In the meantime, here's a recipe for a side dish that is incredible and sure to draw in second helpings.</p><p>Maple Bacon Baked Beans</p><p>2 cups dry beans (such as navy, pinto, or Great Northern), rinsed 1 pound bacon, divided 1 onion, peeled and diced 2 teaspoons dry mustard 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 cups chicken stock ¼ cup molasses 1 cup maple syrup, divided 2 tablespoons brown sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste</p><p>Place beans in a Dutch oven or large pot and cover with about 8 to 10 cups water, or until the beans are covered by atleast 2 inches. Bring water to a simmer and remove from the heat. Set aside for at least 1 hour. (Alternatively, cover the beans with several inches of water and soak overnight.) Drain and rinse the beans, and discard all soaking liquid.</p><p>Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</p><p>Place 5 slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until lightly browned on one side. Remove from oven and set aside.</p><p>Dice remaining bacon.</p><p>Spread on the bottom of the Dutch oven used for the beans. Place over medium heat and cook undisturbed until the edges of the bacon have browned. Stir to cook the remaining side.</p><p>Add the onion and stir to coat with the bacon and cook until golden brown.</p><p>Add dry mustard and stir.</p><p>Add chicken stock, 2 cups of water, beans, molasses, and ¾ cup of the maple syrup. Bring to a simmer and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 4 hours or until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are tender. Add more liquid if needed.</p><p>Remove from oven and place the baked strips of bacon on top of the beans with the browned side facing down. Drizzle with brown sugar and remaining maple syrup. Return to the oven until the bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.</p>